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Monday, November 24, 2014

The 2016 Explorer will go on sale in North America next year with a new look and some of Ford's latest technology.

The current Explorer debuted in the 2011 model year and made the dramatic change from being a body-on-frame truck to a car-based crossover.

The Explorer helped define the SUV segment and sales in the U.S. peaked at 445,000 in 2000. Nearly 7 million have been sold since the SUV debuted in 1990. But gas prices forced Ford to rethink the family vehicle to make if more fuel efficient and nimble to drive. Crossovers of all sizes have surged in popularity because they fill that bill.

Global demand for SUVs is up 88% since 2008, making utility vehicles the fastest-growing segment around the world, according to IHS Automotive. Utilities now comprise 19% of the global vehicle market.

For the Ford brand, utility vehicles accounted for 23% of global sales in 2013, up from 17% a year earlier; and sales are forecast to grow to 29% by 2020.

"As utility vehicle demand rises around the world, our global lineup of vehicles, like EcoSport, Escape/Kuga and Edge, is helping us grow our share," said Jim Farley, head of global marketing, sales and service. "The global desire for new utility vehicles is driving expansion in developing markets like China and helping the Ford brand reach more customers."

Ford is trying to distinguish itself in China by offering four different crossovers for sale — the only region where Ford offers so many utility choices.

The expanded portfolio in Europe now includes the new and tiny EcoSport and the Edge will be added in late 2015. They augment the Kuga (known as Escape here). The utility market in Europe has grown from 9% market share in 2008 to 19% last year.

In the United States, small crossovers are now the largest segment. Ford reported record Escape sales last year.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

The first turbocharged Mustang in more than three decades is certainly a huge step up from the rental car that the V6 Mustang is, but is it fun enough to provide a real alternative to the GT?

This 2.3 is not that 2.3 you might remember from 1984. The 2015 Mustang's Ecoboost comes with a twin-scroll turbo, direct injection, forged connecting rods and a forged crankshaft, a high-pressure die-cast aluminum block and piston cooling oil jets. That's why it has a lot of torque at lower revs and in the midrange, but it's also tuned to lose most of its grunt as you get closer to the redline.

The claimed 310 horses are more like 279 at the wheel according to Motor Trend's dyno test, and they have to move roughly 3600 pounds which means the turbo Mustang is far from being the wildest pony out there.

It certainly wasn't built for the track, but let's see what's it like to drive one at speed for the first time: